10 Tips to Becoming a Better Writer by author Andrea Michaels

Reflections of a Successful Wallflower can only be compared to reading the diaries of Andrea Michaels, considered to be the backbone of the special events industry. This multiple award-winning business woman shares openly and candidly, not only the public wunderkind but the inner woman. Discover the workings of one of the foremost event producers in the world. You'll laugh; you'll cry; you'll be in disbelief and fascinated at the same time. Andrea is a storyteller, and her stories and her life are great lessons for everyone.

1. Don't worry about chronological order, i.e. starting at the beginning and then working through until you have an ending. Just write down whatever you want in any order at all ... when you are done with all your thoughts, it will find its own natural sequencing.
2. If you come to a block, start talking. Writing is really putting the spoken word on paper. It will find natural punctuation in your pauses and breaths. Have a conversation with yourself if there are various points of view to be explored.
3. Imagine you are watching a movie of your book. Who is doing what, what do they look like, how do they move, what do they say, what are they thinking?
4. Storyboard. Put down all of your ideas, no matter how insane they might be at the time. And then use as many of them as are valid and discard the others. There is no such thing as a bad idea.
5. Pick a person you are close to and write them a letter that begins with "Dear ????" and ends with "I love you, (signed with your name), and then share all of your thoughts with them. Now take out greeting and signature, and you'll have part of your book written.
6. Read what you write aloud. If it doesn't sound good it won't read well either.
7. Remember Miles Davis' quote: His best music came from the notes he didn't play. Edit and don't fill space just to fill space. Every word needs to mean something.
8. Don't stop yourself if you don't spell well or punctuate well. That's what computers are for. And if you don't use proper grammar and it works, let it go. There are no rules.
9. You can either start with your title or it can come at any time. Now when you have it, does it really tell you what's inside the book? Imagine yourself seeing a book on Amazon with that title. Would you buy it? If you open up to the first page, will you read beyond the first sentence?
10. Decide if it matters if anyone else reads the book. It's one thing to write merely for yourself. It's another when you want others to read it. For the first you can be indulgent. For the second, you cannot.

Winner of 39 Special Events magazine Gala Awards, Andrea was honored as the “Pillar of the Industry” during The Special Event Gala in 2014. This unique one-time-only achievement award, on the heels of the 25th Anniversary of Extraordinary Events, recognized Andrea for a lifetime of elevating the quality, integrity, creativity and impact of the events industry, as well as spearheading its international outreach. Andrea is also the first inductee into the Special Event Industry Hall of Fame and the recipient of the coveted Special Event Award of Excellence and a Lifetime Achievement Award. Additionally, she has won the M.P.I. Global Paragon Award and a SITE Crystal Award, among many other such honors. Andrea has planned and produced events since 1973, expanding from local Los Angeles based events to a dominant international presence.

How does Andrea stay ahead of the competition and consistently exceed her clients’ expectations? She listens. To her clients. To her vendors. To the industry. Then she integrates that very precise information in order to achieve her clients’ individual goals through creative marketing and integrated special events. What does this mean and how does it benefit you? It means that Andrea will promise that your needs are understood, your goals are met, and your budget is respected. All achieved through listening.

Andrea thinks of each event like a play…with an overture, acts, and finale, which brings a satisfying experience to all who attend her events. She believes in intense communication through marketing strategies designed to fulfill the goals of each individual project.

Whether it’s a multi-day festival at Mall of America, the opening of G.M. Place in Vancouver, hybrid events for MINI, the holiday spectacle for Go Daddy or multi-day programs throughout Europe, Asia or Latin America, no event is too small or too large. All are given equal attention.

Andrea’s conceptualization skills, logistical savvy, and ability to produce the mega-event for thousands of guests are legendary. Each event presented to her is analyzed for its specific needs. Her ever-growing clientele is loyal, and many clients have been with her for more than 20 years. These sought-after relationships are based on proven performance and enriched with trust and ethics. She listened carefully 25 years ago. She listens now.

FTC Disclosure

Many books reviewed on this blog were received free of charge from the author or the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are entirely our own and are not influenced by any relationship with the author or publisher.